At Planetwildlife we celebrate responsible tourism’s capacity to do good and be a positive global force. Today marks an important celebration of global tourism and its benefits, World Tourism Day (WTD), an annual initiative of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). We are especially excited about this year’s theme: Tourism & Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development as these issues are near and dear to our company mission. Known as the most widely celebrated global day for tourism, WTD is an opportunity to highlight the steps taken so far by the international tourism community to power sustainable development.

While the industry is making efforts in green energy solutions and sustainable development, the effort needs to be continued and expanded, especially to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand for travel. (According to the UNWTO one billion international tourists are expected to travel by the end of this year.)

At Planetwildlife, responsible sourcing and sustainable practices are cornerstones of our business, and we strive to provide responsible choices to our travellers whenever possible. As part of this effort, we partner with suppliers and accommodations that focus on conservation and sustainable operations. Two such accommodations are the Karen Blixen Camp in the Kenya’s Masai Mara Reserve and Mahoora Safari Camps in Sri Lanka. Both of these nature-based accommodations make efforts to power up sustainably and are available on custom tours.

The Karen Blixen Camp not only has a cooking school for Masai youth and composts all organic waste, but the company also employs green technologies, such as onsite solar panels and solar water heaters. This pristine camp is located in Mara North Conservancy where travellers can see a stunning array of wildlife, such as giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, topis, Grant’s gazelles, Thompson’s gazelles, yellow baboons, and Kirk’s dik-diks.

On the other side of the globe, the Mahoora Safari Camps in Sri Lanka also makes efforts in sustainable energy and development. Billed as the world’s first carbon-free mobile safari company, the operation has a very extensive carbon-footprint tracking program. The camp maintains its status as a “carbon-neutral vacation” through energy- and carbon-consumption reduction practices and the purchasing of Certified Emission Reductions (CER). The camps are available in many wildlife hotspots around the country, including Yala National Park, known as the spot to see Sri Lankan leopards in the wild.

Experience both camps on a custom tour by Planetwildlife. Request a custom tour here.

About World Tourism Day (WTD)
Held annually on 27 September, World Tourism Day is an initiative of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to build awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. The theme is also an opportunity to ensure international tourism continues to play a role in tackling the major energy challenges of our time, being addressed by the 2012 United Nations International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.